The Earl in My Bed: A Forgotten Princesses Valentine Novella Read Online Free Page A

air around them was charged with something even Paget, for all her ignorance on the matter, recognized as desire.
    It intrigued her. Her single kiss with Owen had been nice . . . but, well . . .
    She yearned for more than nice .
    She wanted what Alice Mary had and that wasn’t something she could ever have with Owen. He was like a brother to her. Not a lover. In his absence, she had come to realize this. She only hoped he had reached the same realization in the years since he left Winninghamshire. She did not wish to hurt him.
    Alice Mary tore her gaze away from her husband, appearing to suddenly remember Paget’s presence. She motioned for her to join them. “Come now, Join me—”
    “Thank you, but I told Mrs. Donnelly I’d be home shortly. I wouldn’t want to alarm her.”
    “Oh, very well. But you must call on me this week. The sooner the better. I really need you, Paget. Decisions must be made. I haven’t a moment more to spare.”
    Paget smiled, doubting very much her friend needed her to make such weighty decisions as what type of ice sculpture she should commission, but she would humor her. “Of course. I promise.”
    “Very well. Enjoy your walk.” She glanced to the skies. “Were I you, I would hasten for home.”
    Paget nodded, but overtly avoided agreeing. “I shall call on you tomorrow.”
    Satisfied, Alice Mary nodded and sat back in her seat. Sir John called out farewell and knocked on the ceiling. The carriage lurched forward.
    Paget watched as the newlyweds rounded the lane and vanished from sight. Instead of turning for home, she set out across the countryside, burrowing deeper into her cloak and relishing the bite of wind on her cheeks that made her feel so very alive. She ignored the darkening skies, telling herself she would turn back for home soon. She simply wished to walk off some of her restlessness. An unidentifiable energy buzzed through her. Her strides quickened as if she could somehow exorcise the sensation from her limbs and imbue herself with the serenity that had once ruled her.
    For some reason an image of the earl rose in her mind. She snorted. Of all men, he shouldn’t be the one to occupy her thoughts. So he was handsome . . . and virile. He wasn’t the only gentleman in these parts, and he certainly was not the one to cure her restless nature. It was purely coincidence that her encounter with him coincided with her longing for . . . something. For more. Adventure. Excitement. An end to her dull existence.
    Her breath fell harder as she walked. As if she could forget her encounter with the earl and Alice Mary and Sir John and the longing consuming her. As if she could once again be satisfied with her life.

 
    C HAPTER T HREE
----
    T he rain fell in heavy sheets, coloring the landscape an opaque gray. Jamie squinted against the deluge and wiped at his face. It did little good. Visibility was still low.
    He’d departed early this morning on foot to visit Mrs. Neddles, his former nurse. Now almost eighty, she lived a village over from Winninghamshire. She was still as sharp as ever. He’d never forgotten her. She’d done a great deal for him, especially after his father remarried and Owen came along—when Jamie often felt invisible, lost in the middle of Brand and the new son. Mrs. Neddles had given him additional affection and always tried to lure him from his shell.
    In the gray haze, he spotted a tight copse of trees in the near distance. He vaguely recalled it from his youth. It would do until the worst of the storm broke.
    The rain pelted him like icy needles as he strode ahead, mindful of where he stepped on the spongy ground.
    At the fringe of the copse, the ends of the branches gathered close and dipped low. He ducked his head as he stepped beneath the canopy.
    Immediately he was protected from the worst of the rain. Water dripped sporadically through the ceiling of tightly tangled leaves and branches. The world seemed quieter, the patter of rain a distant